hens lay eggs​

On July 4, the United States of American will celebrate Independence Day and spare a moment to appreciate the freedoms and civil liberties hard won by the blood, sweat, and tears of military and civilians alike. What many many not consider among the civil liberties to be celebrated is the freedom to read.

The written word influences human thought. Throughout the centuries, governments and religious institutions have sought to direct, guide, and restrict ideas to that which did not challenge their authority over those whom they governed. Books that challenged authority were banned. In some countries, many books remain banned.

1. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald2. The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger3. The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck4. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee5. The Color Purple, by Alice Walker6. Ulysses, by James Joyce7. Beloved, by Toni Morrison8. The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding9. 1984, by George Orwell11. Lolita, by Vladmir Nabokov12. Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck15. Catch-22, by Joseph Heller16. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley17. Animal Farm, by George Orwell18. The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway19. As I Lay Dying, by William Faulkner20. A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway23. Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston24. Invisible Man, by Ralph Ellison25. Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison

Wikipedia offers a list of books banned by governments. Good Reads has several lists of books banned for multiple reasons. Whether considered subversive, blasphemous, or lewd, the lists of banned books range from the Bible to modern literature. In short, these books were and are banned because they offer ideas that someone somewhere doesn't want you see, they expose you to thoughts that someone somewhere fears will corrupt your mind.

The internet has greatly expanded access to banned and challenged literature. As stated, many are classics. Libraries, the first and often foremost bastion upholding the freedom to read, carry many--if not all--of these books. Those books which have passed into the public domain can also be obtained in digital format from the World Public Library and Project Gutenberg.

So, on this celebration of Independence Day, exercise your civil liberty and read.

#HollyBargo​#HenHousePublishing

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Author

Hard boiled, scrambled, over easy, and sunny side up: eggs are the musings of Holly Bargo, the pseudonym for the author.

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